GENEVA - The International Olympic Committee has decided it will select the host city for the 2036 Summer Olympics at its session in 2029, sources close to the matter said, as the organization reviews its bidding process for future games.
In recent years, host city selections have effectively been rubber-stamped by the IOC Session after the Future Host Commission and the Executive Board narrowed candidates to a single preferred bidder.
However, the sources told Kyodo News on Wednesday that the IOC may revive a voting system in which members choose from multiple final candidates.
Countries including India, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Hungary have expressed interest in hosting the 2036 Games.
The IOC overhauled its bidding process in 2019 in response to waning interest from cities, shifting to a targeted approach that identifies and engages with preferred hosts.
Under this model, Brisbane was awarded the 2032 Summer Games, while the French Alps and Salt Lake City were selected for the 2030 and 2034 Winter Olympics, respectively.
The process has faced criticism for a lack of transparency and for limiting the involvement of IOC members. IOC President Kirsty Coventry has led efforts to review the system since taking office in June last year.
For the 2036 Games, the IOC plans a three-phase selection process. An initial "continuous dialogue" phase will assess feasibility with interested parties before the number of candidates is narrowed in the first quarter of 2027.
This will be followed by a newly introduced "strategic dialogue," during which bidders submit detailed plans and financial guarantees, and make presentations to the IOC Session. The final phase is set for the fourth quarter of 2028, with the host city expected to be formally elected at a session in mid-2029.
The IOC is also considering introducing limits on the number of additional sports that host organizing committees can propose for the Olympics, according to the sources.
The proposal would cap additions at four disciplines for the Summer Olympics and two for the Winter Games, with adoption targeted from the 2032 Brisbane Games. The move reflects concerns about ballooning program sizes following a record 36 sports being included at the 2028 Los Angeles Games after five additions.
